It has been a while...

I would like to claim that the reason I've not written anything for AGES is that China blocked the blog. It did. But, there was a very widespread website that let you bypass it. The real reason is a combination of laziness and a lack of time. I can't even remember what has happened since I last blogged so I I'll just do a run-down of some movements and hope that it'll jog my memory.

I left Phnom Penh way back in the end of April and I crossed the border through to Thailand from Battambang. It was quite an exciting border crossing because between the two countries were hoards of casinos, and so loads of people trying to get in and out. Whilst waiting to enter Thailand, a group of twenty or so Cambodians spent an hour pacing the crowds and trying to queue-hop at various points. It was really weird because they would slide in-front of someone really slyly, looking in the other direction as if they had only accidentally ended up in the queue, but because they were a big group and they were pacing it was completely obvious. I had the same guy try three times to sneak-in in front of me.

I bused it to Bangkok and then straight on a bus to Northern Laos - my feet barely touched Thailand soil. After crossing into Laos, I went straight to Vang Vieng. I don't remember how long it took but I know that it was long. When I finally made it to a hotel I napped for hours. I'll guess three days.

Side-saddling

I finally mastered how to ride a motor bike side-saddle! I nearly fell off the first time but by the second time (well, probably the sixth time) I had it! No more will I lose my dignity whilst riding a motorbike in a skirt!

Rash Buddies

I forgot to mention that in Siem Reap, both Chris and I managed to get bitten all over our arms by, we think, fleas, whilst sitting on some wicker chairs in our hostel. Seeing as both of us had the ailment, we were able to complain profusely by constantly asking each other how we were doing. Sweating, which seemed to happen a lot, irritated them so we were able to get a lot of attention and sympathy for them. Brilliant. I've decided that mine were originally worse, but they cleared up quicker because I visited a pharmasicst who, after trying to sell me suncream and moisturiser, provided me with some kind of steroid cream that worked a treat. We have some beautiful photos of them.

Volunteering at SSF

SSF is an organisation to protect high-risk girls from being trafficked.

The children were beautiful. I fell in love with a thirteen year old girl called Tha. When I was writing reports, she'd sit next to me and pretend to type too. They taught me how to make banana cakes (badly) and how to dance to Cambodian hip-hop. I taught them how to make roses out of tissue and how to play snap. I can't pinpoint any words in english to describe Cambodia. It is something like impacting or hard-going, but those words don't really get it. I keep on coming back to the spanish. Cambodia is muy fuerte.

I was ill again whilst volunteering. Felt very sorry for myself. Although, back in Thailand I weighed myself on some free scales in a pharmacists. It was apparent that I've seriously been enjoying the culinary delights here. At least not eating for a week may have had one benefit.

Phnom Penh

When I finally managed to leave the hotel, I did actually visit some of Phnom Penh. Hannah and Chris departed ways with us on friday, so on thursday night we went to a roller disco. Yes, a roller disco. Filled with skilled teenage bladers, it was a hoot. Although, I was completely useless, and everyone's feet killed after a few minutes.

Amy left for Vietnam on friday as well, so I used the day to cath up on the sights that I had missed out on whilst bed-ridden. I say sights, but I don't think it is really an appropriate term for visiting a monument filled with hundreds of skulls and an ex-genocide prison. But there we are.

In the evening I headed off to Kampong Speu to volunteer. It chucked it down for an hour, causing floods all over Phnom Penh. The usual 1 hour drive took us 6 hours!

ill ill ill

We arrived in Phom Penh on Monday. We had been out for cocktails the night before for Chris's birthday, and had got the 7.30 bus out of Siem Reap. I was feeling a bit dodgy, but decided it was alcohol mixed with lack of sleep. By around 6 that evening, I thought it was something more, and at around 2 in the morning, I knew it was more. After being in the toilet for a good while (there's no need to relish details here), somewhere between the severe pain and the heat of the windowless bathroom, my eyes blacked out. I fumbled my way back to the bedroom (the bathroom was a shared bathroom, a few metres away from our bedroom), making shakey toddler steps, clinging to the wall. I managed to make it back to our door, and inside and stood there for a minute or so clutching the door-frame, not wanting to lie down but having no idea how to reach my bed or how to negotiate our strewn about luggage. Amy was woken by: "Amy, could you help me back to bed please. I can't see."

According to Amy, I looked blind. She led me to the bed and I promptly smacked my head against the wall as I had no idea which part of the bed she had plonked me down on. I lay down, legs shaking, hands numb, and unable to see. This was when I decided it was more than a hangover.

I had to stay in bed for two whole rubbish days. My biggest activity was walking downstairs to get water. Even this was a mission. Although Hannah lent me her ipod with her audiobooks of Poirot to pass the time. Unfortunately, I found out a few days later that I managed to pick the one story that was incomplete! I don't know who done it.

Things really are slipping

For the last week we've been travelling with a couple, Hannah and Chris. We met as we arrived on Don Det in Laos and literally have not been able to shake them off since. Literally, we've had a few miniscule hours apart! It is also quite funny because in Don Det our huts were next door to each other, in Ban Lung in eastern Cambodia, we shared a room, and in Siem Reap our Dorm matresses were all squashed together, making essentially one giant bed. I think they fancy us.

Anyway, we were walking through one of the temples and I noticed that my top was on inside out. When you get up at 4 am and fumble to get dressed quitely whilst not waking anyone else up, this happens. So I said allowed, "Oh my top's on inside out".
Chris, who I've known for only six days, was stood a little further away, saw a small kerfuffle, heard something about being inside out and promptly said something which I never thought someone who I'd known for that length of time say to me: "Oh Emma, you've not got your knickers back to front again have you?"

Again. I think I'm becoming a spanner.